Regional council is entirely behind an effort to bring the Brier, Canada’s men’s curling championship to St. Catharines and the Meridian Centre in 2020.

Doug Geddie addressed council on behalf of the bid committee to say that the women’s championship, the Scotties, held in St. Catharines in March brought 60,000 spectators to St. Catharines and Niagara over the 10-day period.

Council passed a motion unanimously supporting a successful bid with a $75,000 contribution over three years.

Geddie told council the Brier is a more prominent event and would have a $12- to $15-million impact on the region. He estimated the spinoff from the Scotties was $10 million.

The Brier has never been held in Niagara, Geddie said.

The Region’s contribution would be part of about $750,000 to $1 million the committee would have to raise.

The application bid must be submitted in the coming months.

St. Catharines council has unanimously endorsed the bid put forth through St. Catharines Curling Club and supported the club’s request for waiving $202,660 in fees for use of Meridian Centre for six setup days and 10 event days in November.

Other cities making bids are Kingston; Moncton, N.B.; and Prince George, B.C.